A New Preschool Will Teach Kids How to Grow Their Own Food

Teachers and parents may soon be encouraging children to play in the dirt. A team of Italian designers recently snagged first prize at the 2016 AWR International Ideas Competition for their concept of a preschool that teaches sustainable farming. The idea builds on a trend that has taken off here as well as abroad: Numerous programs throughout the U.S. focus on helping students grow their own fruits and veggies.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

AWR Competitions

"Nursery Fields Forever" swaps fields for classrooms, promoting a more organic approach to education. The designers — Gabriele Capobianco, Edoardo Capuzzo Dolcetta, Jonathan Lazar and Davide Troiani — envisioned a hands-on approach to sharing agricultural knowledge. "We tried to make a different way to learn," Dolcetta told Fast Company. "So not reading a book, or listening to a teacher, but experience directly based on practice."

AWR Competitions

Children would be introduced to food and nature through first-hand experience rather than reading about them in a textbook. Arch Daily reports that this approach would help kids develop self-esteem and social skills through "interaction with animals and plants...and with the introduction of tangible goals in their education." Mental Floss says preschoolers would also learn about renewable energy through wind turbines and solar panels located on school grounds.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Country Living participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.